Rotary internal-combustion engine.



0. A.'BOYER. ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED 11mm, 1911.

1,025, 1 1 7. Patented May 7, 1912.

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ruim/w@ 2 76 O. A. BOYER.

A ROTARY INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7, 1911. 4 1.025,1 1 7. Patented May '7, 1912.

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j wpwto/o I gra/115A .Baye-1'.

D. A. BOYER.

ROTARY INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED rms. 7, 1'911.

om A. BYEB, OFIMILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

- Specllcation of Lettersatent. Application led February 7, 1911. SerialNo. 607,132.

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To all whom it may oon-cern.'

Be it known that I, ORAH A. Bom, citi.

zen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain. new and usefulImprovements 1n .Rotary Internal-Combustion Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention comprehends certainnew and useful improvements in rotaryinternal combustion engines or turbines, and the'invention hasy for itsprimary object a simplel and eicient construction of device of thischaracter embodying any desiredvnumberof swinging abutments, the partsbein so arranged that in the rapid revolution o thek rotor carrying theabutments, the latter w1ll be swung out by centrifugal action toward therim'of the rotor {to compress successlve charges of gaseous fuel, thelatter being then instantly ignited to react and tend to force theabutments inwardly in their pockets and the spent charges beingalmost'instantly thereafter expelled, as soon .as they have imposed thelrexpansive action upon the 'abutments and through the abutments to the'roor to'revolve the latter.

With this and other objects in view as will more fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in cert-am constructions,arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is -to be had tothe following d escription and accompanying drawings, 1n which: Y

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of my improved rotaryinternal combustion engine, parts being shown 1n side elevation andbroken out to, better illustrate the interior construction; Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view thereof, the section being taken approximatelyon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on theline 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line A4 4 of Fig. 1;Fig. 5 (Sheet 1) is a fragmentary perspective view of the rotor, one ofthe swinging abutments carried thereby and aspindle which may beused topivotally mount the abutments in the rotor; and, Flg. 6 (Sheet 2) is asimilar view of the cam wheel or disk and one of the levers designed tooperate the intake valves.

. Corresponding and like parts are referred ratentedMay 7, 1912.

to in the following description and indicatedin allthe views .of the`drawings by Athe same reference characters.

The casing C of my improved engine orv or otherwisesecured to the bodyportion 2.

The rotor R is keyed or otherwise secured to the drive shaft 4, and saidshaft is preferably provided with a water inlet passage 5 leading intothe interior ofthe rotor which constitutes a water chamber 6 and withaseparate and, distinct water outlet -passage 7 leading from saidchamber, as -best illustrated Fig.*2. Power may be transmitted from theshaft 4 in any desired way, as -by a puey or band wheel 8 securedthereon. The rotor R is formed with ,75 any desired number of1preferably trans.-

versely elongated rim openingv pockets 9,

there being four of these pockets in the present instance, arranged inequidistant `relation to each other. Each of the pockets 9 accommodatesla centrifugally acting freely swinging abutment 10 hin ed at its outeredge, as indicated at 11 an adapted -to be swung from a position againsttheV relatively flat real` face 12 of the pocket around the curved Wallof the pocket toward the rim of the rotor. It is to be particularly`understood that the outwardly swinging movement of the abutments 10 iseffected by centrifugal action solely and v not by any mechanicalaccessories;

The casing C is provided with an annular gas chamber 13 into which thegaseous fuel may be admitted at any desired points in the periphery ofthe` casing, (for instance,

roundin an annular water chamber 1 5 which directly surrounds the rotorand into which Water may be admitted and passed off.

through the intake 16-16. l

At predetermined intervals, the number depending upon the number ofabutments employed, the walls which define the water and dischargepassages chamber 15 are formed, preferably midwayl as at 14) saidannular gas chamber surat their outer ends to the inwardly Iprojectingarms of laterally extending valve actuating levers 22. These levers arefulcrumed intermediate of their ends, as on radially projecting posts 23secured to the'body portion 2 of the casing, their outwardly projectingarms are preferably connected to the adjoining head 3 of the casing bycontractile springs 22a, as best illustrated in Fig. 3, and said armscarry at their outer ends rollers 24 designed for engagement by camsformed on the periphery of a cam wheel or disk 25. This wheel is mountedon the shaft 4, as best illustrated in Fig. 3, and is formed wit-hrelatively short peripheral cams 26 arranged in equidistant relation toeach other and of a number corresponding to the number of abutments andintake valves employed, that is, four in the present instance. 4

The walls which define the water chamber 15 are at predeterminedintervalsl extended inwardly from both side edges toward the middle, asindicated at 27 in Fig. 4 to constitute oppositely extending vsideopening exhaust ports 28 arranged relatively close to the intake ports18 and communicating at their outer ends with annular exhaust chambers29 from which the spent gases may b e discharged at any desired points,such as are indicated at 30 in Fig. 2.

31 designates spark plugs of any desired type, construction, or design,said plugs being preferably located very close to the intake ports 18andpreferably positioned with the intake ports interposed between theplugs and the adjoining exhaust ports.

In the practical operation of my improved turbine, the gaseous fuel`isadmitted to the gas chamber 13. The rotation of the cam wheel 25operates the intake valves 19, which allows the gas to ill the space inthe abutment pocket of the rotor. It is manifest that centrifugal forcewill swing the abutment out toward the rim of the rotor which willcompress the gas and immediately the gas is ignited by the sparkingdevice, the expansive action of the exploding gas forcing the abutmentinwardly, downwardly and forwardly, the energy thereofbeingft-ransmitted to or imposed upon the rotor. The spent gases willthen instantly be discharged and the pocket recharged by the time it hasreached the next inlet valve in the series.

While the accompanying drawings show what I believe tobe the preferredembodiment of my invention, yet it is tobe-understood that the inventionis n'ot limited thereto, as variouschanges may be made. in theconstruction, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departingfroml the lscope of my invention as defined in the aping abutments 10 onthe rotor after the expansion. s

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. An engine 0f the character described, 70 embodying a casing, a rotormounted therein, the rotor being provided with a plurality of rimopening pockets, and the casing being formed with intake ports openingon the rim of the rotor and adapted to intermit- P15 tently andsuccessively communicate with said pockets, freely swinging abutmentsmounted in the respective pockets and arranged to be swung outwardlytherein by centrifugal action from an inward substantially radialposition toward the rim of the; rotor, intake valves adapted to admitgaseous fuel into the pockets as they arrive at the intake portscontrolled by said intake valves, means for operating said valves, andmeans for igniting the fuel admitted j through said ports.

2. An engine of the character described, comprising a casing, a rotormounted in said casing and provided with a plurality of rim openingabutment pockets, abutments mounted to freely swing in' said pockets andarranged to be moved by centrifugal action from an inner relativelyinoperative position toward the rim of the rotor, the casing beingformed with a plurality of intake ports and provided with intake valvescontrolling said ports, the ports opening at' the rim of the rotor, thecasing being further provided with exhaust ports close to the intakeports and with igniting devices contiguous to the intakeiports, andmeans for moving the intake valves toward the open position,y the intakevalves being located between the igniting devices and the adjoin- 105ing exhaust ports.

3. An engine of the character described, comprising a casing -formedwith an annular gas chamber, the inner wall whereof 4is deflected andapertured to form intake ports, 11.0 a rotor mounted in said casing andprovided with a plurality of rim opening pockets, and

freely swinging centrifugally acting abutments mounted insaid pockets,intake valves controlling said ports, means for opening said valves toadmit charges from the gas chamber into the pockets as they arrive atthe intake valves in the revolution of the rotor, means for igniting thecharges,- and means for discharging the spent gases.

4. An engine of the character described, comprising a casing formed withan annular gas chamber, a separate water chamber surrounded by the gaschamber, a rotor mounted in the casing and surrounded directly by theannular water chamber, the inner wall of the gas chamber being deflectedand apertured to form intake ports, intake valves controlling said orts,a rotor mounted insaid casing and flvdrmed with a plurality of rimopening pockets,' freely 'swingingI and centrifugal acting abutmentsmounted vin said pocketsyntake Valves controlling said ports, means foropening said Valves, means for igniting the charges admitted by saidValves into the pockets, the walls of the water chamber being deflectedinwardly from opposite sides to produce laterally opening and oppositelyextending exhaust 10 ports adapted to receive the gases imme-,

diately after the)T have been exploded, and the casing beingformed withopposite annular exhaust chambers communlcating at intervals with saidexhaust ports.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my vsigna- 15 ture in presence of twowitnesses.

ORAM AL BOYER. [1.. s] Witnesses:

ALBERT B. CLARKE, Con E. FISHER.

